Dirt tamper



Oct. 27, 1942.

E. W. MOELLENKAMP DIRT TAMPER Filed Aug. 29, 1941 GGGGH Snoentor EmileW. Molle/:kamp

l to a large extent'the bending strain Patented Oct. 27, 1942 fi l'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,299,918 i DIRT TAMPER' Emile W.Moellenkamp, Shreveport, La. Application August 29, 1941, Serial' N0.408,862 (o1. :i4- 49) 8 Claims.

My invention relates to dirt tampers.

`An object of my invention is to provide a dirt tamperin whichthetamping head is yieldably connected to the tamper handle to allow thetamper head to coliform to the contour of the earth being tamped and indoing so to eliminate on the tamper handle and the resultantcrystallization of the handle, the principal cause of the breaking oftamper handles.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dirt tamper in which theshock in the tamper handle incident to the tamping blow is substantiallydissipated before it reaches the portion of the handle normally held byan operator engaged in a tamping operation. i

Other `objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent froma consideration of my detailed description to follow taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of myinvention.

In-the drawing:

Figure 1 is a broken elevation view of a tamper embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is an elevation view of the tamper illustrated by Figure 1showing it in an operating position encountering an obstruction andFigure 3 is an elevation View of an assembly of some of the parts of byFigure 1.

`Numeral I designatesgenerally the tamping head of my dirt tamper. Thetamping head I is provided with the usual flat face 2 found in dirttampers adapting them to smooth out surfaces. I provide an upwardlyextending inverted U shaped link 3 on'my tamper head I as a means ofconnecting it with the tamper handle core rod 4. The handle core rod 4is provided with an eyelet` 5 which encircles the inverted U shaped link3. By means of an interlocking eyelet 5 and the inverted U shaped link 3there is provided a universal connection between the tamper head Iandthe core rod 4 which' permits the tamper head I to conform to anuneven contour of earth such as is illustrated in Figure 2. As will beseen later in my description, this function is not prohibited by theother members of my tamper, My tamper, even as thus far described,constitutes a novel and useful dirt tamper. The tamper handle core rod 4has its upper end 6 threaded to receive the tensioning nut 'I by meansof which my completed tamper is held in assembled position as shown inFigure 1. 1 loosely encase my tamper handle core rod 4 by means of atubular base shell 8 which is loosely positioned on the the dirt tamperillustrated taniping head I withinan upstanding unitary base shellretaining flange 9 and a handle shell I2 telescopically supported by thebase shell 8 through the means of an inwardly extending shell supportingflange ID in the base shell 8. An inwardly extending spring supportingflange I3 is provided inthe tubular handle shell I2 to support thehelical compression spring I4.

To assemble my tamper in its assembled position as shown in Figure 1,the tensioning nut 1 should be removed from my tamper handle core rod 4.The tubular base shell 8 should next be slipped over the tamper handlecore rod 4 and seated on4 the tamper head I inside of the retainingflange 9 which centers it on the tamper head I. Next I slide over thetamper handle core rod 4 down into the base shell 8 where it rests on aninwardly extending flange type shell support IIJ. After this, I slidethe helical compression spring I4 over the` upper end of the core rod 4and inside of the tubular handle shell I2 to where it rests on theinwardly extendingflange type spring support I3. The last and finaloperation in the assembly` of my dirt tamper is to screwdown thetensioning nut 'I on the threaded end 6 of the core rod 4. The tensionof the helical compression spring I4 brought about by the screwing downof the tensioning nut 1 is transmitted to the tamping head I throughhandle shell I2 and the base shell 8 and pushes on the tamping head Iwith the result that a tension strain is set up in the core rod 4 and acompression strain is set up in the telescopic assembly, the handleshell I2 and the base shell 8.

Since the compression spring I4 is yieldable, the tamping head I may bemoved out of its assembled position as shown -in Figure 1 to the skewedposition shown in Figure 2 without breaking or unduly of my tamper. Thefarther the tensioning nut 1 is screwed down, the greater the springtension for holding the parts of the tamper in assembled positionbecomes. The spring tension is dictated by the particular conditions ofthe surface being tamped, that is, its texture and contour,

Due to the universal connection between the tamper h'andle core rod 4and the tamping head I and the play allowed in the core rod casingbetween base shell 8 and handle shell I2, no bending strain at all ofany consequence can be transmitted to the core rod 4, the base shell 8,or the No compression strain can be rod 4 until the link 3 is moved theshock of a tampingblow set up in the core for enough under the tubularhandleshell I2 the telescopic assembly of the tubular straining any ofthe parts to relieve all of the initial tension strain set up in thecore rod 4 by th'e compression spring I4 and moves farther to overcomethe slack in the eyelet 5 and link 3 connection. Before this can happenthe force of the tamping blow is entirely dissi- Dated. The portion ofthe shock absorbed by the base shell 8 and transmitted to the handleshell I2, which is a number of times larger than the usual tamperhandle, is so attenuated as to be unobjecticnable.

The most objectionable shock to the hands of the operator in usingtampers comes about by the side thrust of the handle due to the tamperhead striking an uneven portion of the ground. These shocks are severewhen the prior art type of tamper is used wherein the handle of thetamper is rigidly secured to the tamper head. These shocks also causethe tamper handles in the prior art tampers to crystallize and snap off.In my tamper the handle is allowed to yield sui'liciently to allow theside shocks to be transmitted to and dissipated into the compressionspring I4. By the term handle I mean the inverted U shaped link 3, thecore rod 4 connected to it, and the core rod casing members, the baseshell 8 and core rod shell I2. The base shell 8 is made considerablysmaller than the retaining ange B inside of which it fits, the core rodshell I2 is made smaller than the base shell 8 into which it istelescoped to permit them to be thrown out of alignment in respect toone another to allow the compression spring I4 to absorb the side thrustshock.

Having thus described my invention l claim:

l. A tamping tool of the class described, comprising a tamping head, alongitudinal core member extending upwardly from the tamping head, oneend of said core member being provided with a hinging means for hingingthe core member to the tamper head, a casing means surrounding said coremember and resting on said tamping head, and a yieldable clamping meansconnected to said core member in a manner to push the said casing meansdown on the said tamping head to oiTer resistance to a tilting motion ofthe tamping head and to right the tamping head to its normal position.

2. A tamping tool of the class described, comprising a tamping head, alongitudinal core member extending upwardly from the tamping head,

of said core member being provided with a hinging means for hinging thecore member to the tamping head, a casing member surrounding the coremember and resting on the tamping head, said casing member including abase shell and a handle shell, said base shell being adapted to rest onthe tamping head and provided with a supporting means to support thehandle shell in a loose telescopic fashion and a yieldable clampingmeans including a spring connected to said core member adapted to pushthe said casing member down on the said tamping head to oer resistanceto a tilting motion of the tamping head and to right the tamping head toits normal position.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the said tamping head isprovided with a retaining means adapted to center the said base shell onthe said tamping head.

4. A tamping tool of the class described, comprising a tamping head, alongitudinal core member extending upwardly from the tamping head, thelower end of said core member being provided with a hinging means forhinging the core member to the tamping head, a casing member surcoremember and resting 0n the to compress the compression spring.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the said casing memberincludes a base shell and a handle shell said base shell being adaptedto shell in a loose telescopic fashion.

6. The device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the tamping head is providedwith a retaining means adapted to center the said casing member on thesaid tamping head.

shell in a telescopic fashion.

against tamping head and erted on the core member.

EMILE W. MOELLENKAIWP.

